Chapter 2
"Wh… what happened?! Where am I?" a voice echoed, trembling in the midst of heavy darkness.
The darkness was thick and suffocating, like the heart of a void. It was nearly impossible to see anything; there was barely any light, only faint flickers that died out as quickly as they came.
"Wh… why does it feel like I'm spinning?" the voice asked again, breathless and confused, as the void around began rotating—faster and harder, like a hurricane forming in slow motion.
It was difficult to tell where the ground or sky was. Everything was swallowed in thick, motionless darkness. Pure pitch black.
"Did I die? Oh, right! I was shot in the back by that bitch!" Max growled in frustration, trying to glance around him, but his efforts were pointless.
"Suz… you betrayed me. You betrayed my love, my trust, and everything I gave you." Max's tone was heavy as the void kept spinning violently. "I should have listened to Joe when he said all girls are the same. That they should only be used as tools by us to satisfy our sexual urges. That's all.
I should have followed his advice, but instead, I decided to fall in love—and look where it got me. Dead. My soul wandering around in this endless, pitch-black abyss! Screw me! Screw love!
Screw you, Suz. And screw destiny!" Max screamed so loud that his throat burned from the force. When he stopped, the eerie void gave him only silence in return.
It was haunting, as if the void was listening... and agreeing.
"Oh well… there's no point shouting now. I'm dead. I should just accept my fate and let go." He sighed bitterly. "But if…"
Suddenly, "Ahhhh!" Max screamed in agony. His head began spinning uncontrollably, his vision turning hazy, and it felt like every ounce of strength was being drained from his very soul.
'Curses! Even in death, I still don't have peace. What do you want from me now? Are you trying to erase me completely, so my soul can never be found again?!'
Tring!
{You have been chosen as the host for the Harem System.}
{Transmigration will now begin… Good luck!}
"Huh? System? Transmigration? What the fuck is all this?!" Max shouted, overwhelmed by the confusion. His head was spinning so violently now that he felt as if he might lose consciousness.
Then, from the farthest edge of the void, a blinding white light shone. It hit his face with full intensity, yet it couldn't even illuminate the space around him. The darkness remained stubborn and endless.
"What now—?"
Before he could finish, Max's body moved on its own, rocketing toward the light at terrifying speed.
He didn't have control. He was like a missile…no, like a meteor hurling toward the Earth at breakneck speed.
"Crap! What's happening? Where the hell am I going?!" Max cried out as the light swallowed him whole. And then…
BAM!
His body pierced through the light and for a moment, there was darkness again. But this time, it didn't last long.
Max's eyes fluttered open, his vision blurred and dazed like someone being reborn after a long slumber. He blinked repeatedly, trying to focus.
His hands crept up to his head, pressing tightly, attempting to soothe the gnawing headache pounding in his skull.
"Wh… what is going on now?" he croaked out hoarsely, his voice barely audible as he slowly lifted his upper body and took in his surroundings.
"Huh?!"
That was all he could say.
His back pressed against something hard. As he looked down, he realized it was the floor. Not a bed. There was no comfort, no mattress… only a thin, flattened pad laid out in the corner of the room, with a few worn, rough blankets carelessly thrown over it.
The walls were cracked and discolored, smeared with the ghosts of forgotten posters that had long since peeled off.
Cobwebs clung to the corners like parasites, and a single plastic fan spun weakly from above, clicking with every rotation like it might fall at any second.
There was no separation between living space and kitchen—just a rusted gas burner beside a sink piled with unwashed dishes.
A small fridge, humming louder than it should, stood at an awkward angle beside a chipped wooden table missing one leg and propped up with books.
A battered laptop sat atop the table, its screen cracked, next to a stack of unopened mail and crumpled instant noodle cups.
One window which was half-covered with a torn curtain, let in a sliver of sunlight, just enough to illuminate the dust dancing through the air.
And that was it. No bathroom in sight. Max could only assume it was shared down the hall.
This wasn't just poverty. This was abandonment. A place forgotten by time, swallowed whole by despair.
"Huh?! This isn't my apartment! Nor is it Suz's. So where the hell am I?" Max asked, trying to stand up when something cut his hand. "Ouch!" he muttered, glancing down to see a cracked mirror with his reflection staring back at him.
"What the actual fuck?!" he screamed, grabbing the mirror and staring hard at his reflection.
The face staring back at him was unfamiliar, gaunt, pale, and worn out. Dark circles carved themselves beneath dull brown eyes, the kind that hadn't known a good night's sleep in weeks.
His hair, a tangled mess of black strands, looked greasy and unkempt, as if water hadn't touched it in days. His lips were dry and cracked, his cheeks hollow from malnourishment.
But beneath all that neglect... there was something. A sharp jawline, hidden beneath the shadow of stubble. Straight eyebrows. A nose that was neither too large nor too small, just right.
His skin, though dull now, had the kind of clear tone that could glow with proper care. He wasn't ugly. Just... forgotten. Abandoned like the apartment he woke up in.
He looked like someone who once had a spark but life, poverty, and loneliness had snuffed it out.
His arms were skinny, lacking muscle, but his frame had balance. With food, grooming, and sleep, this body could go from average to attractive. From ignored... to irresistible.
"This is not me!" Max shrieked in disbelief as the cracked mirror slipped from his hands.
Shatter!
The glass burst into countless pieces, scattering across the dusty floor, while his pale reflection stared back at him through the broken shards.
"What the fuck is going on?!" Max shouted, hands creeping into his unkempt hair as he gripped it in growing frustration. His wide eyes scanned the apartment, confusion written all over his face.
He grabbed his cheeks and squeezed hard, hoping he would wake up. But the sharp sting from pinching too hard told him all he needed to know—he wasn't dreaming.
"I need t…" he began to say, but his thoughts were abruptly cut off as a loud ding rang in his head.
Tring!
{Welcome to the Dragon Harem System!}
"Dragon Harem what?!" Max asked, baffled as a glowing blue system screen appeared right before his eyes.